| Light For The Gloom |
“Light For The Gloom”
Isaiah 9:1-7
December 16, 2007
I know that the only reason I survived my childhood was because of the
existence of my night light. You know - the little Christmas tree bulb that
plugged into the wall. Sometimes, if a person were lucky, the light shone
through a Mickey Mouse head or a Roy Rogers face or the body of one
of the superheroes of the day.
I would imagine that I am not the only person here today who needed, or
needs, a light to keep the darkness at bay. But need and use it I did.
You see, I grew up in a two-story, brick, farm house, complete with a
wood burning furnace which was tucked down in a dirt floor basement
that flooded every year. The water pipes in the house gurgled and
banged when the toilet was flushed. The floors were bare wood
connected by a creaky, squeaky staircase. And the attic was full of bats
and mice, or an occasional squirrel that would scurry around the large
wooden trunks - huge scary storage containers from ancient Kelsey’s
past that took me years to garner enough courage to look in.
In other words, it was the perfect place for a child with a fertile
imagination to live. Each noise that rumbled from the bowels of my
house was the first warning of an attack directed at me. Every groan,
every wheeze, every shudder that occurred in the darkness was a
conspiracy between Alfred Hitchcock, Vincent Price, the monster that
lived under my bed, and every alien from the Outer Limits. Their soul
reason for existing was to eliminate me as soon as the lights were shut
off.
Now picture that house in a dark grove of pines whispering their
thoughts at the slightest breeze, while crows and various other birds and
animals replied. You can perhaps understand why I needed the light that
the small bulb provided. It was a source of comfort and what seemed to
me to be my last link to a safe, sane world.
It appears that I am not the only one to who light was, and is, important.
The Old Testament records a fascination with light and God as the
source of light. After God created the heavens and the earth, light was
the next thing created. God's first words as recorded in Genesis are
"Let there be light," after which light immediately appeared. The
association of God and light in the Bible continues: It is in his garment
(Ps. 104:2). It lives with him (Dan. 2:22). We read that "the Lord is my
light" (Ps. 27:1, Sam. 22:29, Isa. 10:17). God brings light to deep
darkness; gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon
and stars for light by night. We can walk in God's light; as God's
servants we are lights to others; and God's word lights our path.
Light ranks as one of the most important images in scripture - for good
reason. There were those moments in life when it seemed as if the
darkness was going to swallow people’s souls up whole. Fear of death,
oppression by those in power, a feeling of helplessness as war and
famine wrought havoc.... all contributed to the shadow of darkness that
was becoming increasingly darker.
People were crying out for some way.... some one... to pierce the
darkness and offer comfort.
Isaiah offered a night light to those in distress, hope for those who were
filled with gloom. He said, “The people walking in darkness have seen a
great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has
dawned.” He said, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given... And
he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.”
But, that is the stuff of the Old Testament and Old Testament
sensibilities. I don’t suppose any of us here have a need to pierce any
darkness?
Apparently those who wrote the New Testament still had a need for the
comfort of God’s light. They experienced and then shared the great truth
that "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. The writers of the
Gospels were able to give new meaning to Isaiah's words, "Arise, shine
, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord arises upon you." The
Messiah - Jesus had arrived. The “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” had arrived as a child born... as a
son to the world. The Light that people had cried out for had come.
Jesus is recorded in the Gospel of John as saying, "I am the light of the
world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the
light of life." Jesus, "the true light," who gives light to all persons, has
come into the world. The author of John was not writing about some
remote, uncaring deity, John was writing about One who, in addition to
being light, is love.
The God who is light shines on people for their good, caring for them,
lighting their way. The coming of Jesus means the coming of divine light
for our illumination and salvation.
The birth that we celebrate is the incarnation of light for a world often
cloaked in darkness. And more importantly, that child became the man
Jesus who shared his mission with us through the words in the scripture.
"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me
should stay in darkness. As for the person who hears my words but does
not keep them, I do not judge them. For I did not come to judge the
world, but to save it." Jesus is the light showing the way to God's
accepting and all encompassing grace.
Perhaps, if people in both Old and New Testament times needed a light
to illumine the way... we could use one also? Is there any darkness in
your life that needs piercing?
Monsters might not be hiding under your bed, but are you experiencing a
shadow of darkness that threatens your soul? Perhaps you are
struggling with depression; perhaps someone you love has died. Could
it be that you are overwhelmed with the responsibility of work or family,
feeling attacked by the expectations of others, trying to remember to
breathe as you fight off loneliness? Is there any darkness in your life that
needs piercing?
The questions are not meant to be rhetorical... they are not meant to be
merely academic musings. This is not a morning to reflect on the
sweetness of words. This is not the time to nod gently as you placate the
pastor. If you are experiencing distress in any way.... physical,
emotional, spiritual distress... God is offering you a way to cut through
the gloom of darkness.
Unto us a child is born, a son is given, and his name is Jesus.
You are invited this morning, at this very moment to experience the birth
of Jesus. You are invited to experience the light that will displace any
fear, any fracturing of your life. You are invited to let go of the darkness
that haunts you and to experience the peace of God through the power
of Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Celebrate the birth of light in your life. AMEN.
Isaiah 9:1-7
December 16, 2007
I know that the only reason I survived my childhood was because of the
existence of my night light. You know - the little Christmas tree bulb that
plugged into the wall. Sometimes, if a person were lucky, the light shone
through a Mickey Mouse head or a Roy Rogers face or the body of one
of the superheroes of the day.
I would imagine that I am not the only person here today who needed, or
needs, a light to keep the darkness at bay. But need and use it I did.
You see, I grew up in a two-story, brick, farm house, complete with a
wood burning furnace which was tucked down in a dirt floor basement
that flooded every year. The water pipes in the house gurgled and
banged when the toilet was flushed. The floors were bare wood
connected by a creaky, squeaky staircase. And the attic was full of bats
and mice, or an occasional squirrel that would scurry around the large
wooden trunks - huge scary storage containers from ancient Kelsey’s
past that took me years to garner enough courage to look in.
In other words, it was the perfect place for a child with a fertile
imagination to live. Each noise that rumbled from the bowels of my
house was the first warning of an attack directed at me. Every groan,
every wheeze, every shudder that occurred in the darkness was a
conspiracy between Alfred Hitchcock, Vincent Price, the monster that
lived under my bed, and every alien from the Outer Limits. Their soul
reason for existing was to eliminate me as soon as the lights were shut
off.
Now picture that house in a dark grove of pines whispering their
thoughts at the slightest breeze, while crows and various other birds and
animals replied. You can perhaps understand why I needed the light that
the small bulb provided. It was a source of comfort and what seemed to
me to be my last link to a safe, sane world.
It appears that I am not the only one to who light was, and is, important.
The Old Testament records a fascination with light and God as the
source of light. After God created the heavens and the earth, light was
the next thing created. God's first words as recorded in Genesis are
"Let there be light," after which light immediately appeared. The
association of God and light in the Bible continues: It is in his garment
(Ps. 104:2). It lives with him (Dan. 2:22). We read that "the Lord is my
light" (Ps. 27:1, Sam. 22:29, Isa. 10:17). God brings light to deep
darkness; gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon
and stars for light by night. We can walk in God's light; as God's
servants we are lights to others; and God's word lights our path.
Light ranks as one of the most important images in scripture - for good
reason. There were those moments in life when it seemed as if the
darkness was going to swallow people’s souls up whole. Fear of death,
oppression by those in power, a feeling of helplessness as war and
famine wrought havoc.... all contributed to the shadow of darkness that
was becoming increasingly darker.
People were crying out for some way.... some one... to pierce the
darkness and offer comfort.
Isaiah offered a night light to those in distress, hope for those who were
filled with gloom. He said, “The people walking in darkness have seen a
great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has
dawned.” He said, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given... And
he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.”
But, that is the stuff of the Old Testament and Old Testament
sensibilities. I don’t suppose any of us here have a need to pierce any
darkness?
Apparently those who wrote the New Testament still had a need for the
comfort of God’s light. They experienced and then shared the great truth
that "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. The writers of the
Gospels were able to give new meaning to Isaiah's words, "Arise, shine
, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord arises upon you." The
Messiah - Jesus had arrived. The “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” had arrived as a child born... as a
son to the world. The Light that people had cried out for had come.
Jesus is recorded in the Gospel of John as saying, "I am the light of the
world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the
light of life." Jesus, "the true light," who gives light to all persons, has
come into the world. The author of John was not writing about some
remote, uncaring deity, John was writing about One who, in addition to
being light, is love.
The God who is light shines on people for their good, caring for them,
lighting their way. The coming of Jesus means the coming of divine light
for our illumination and salvation.
The birth that we celebrate is the incarnation of light for a world often
cloaked in darkness. And more importantly, that child became the man
Jesus who shared his mission with us through the words in the scripture.
"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me
should stay in darkness. As for the person who hears my words but does
not keep them, I do not judge them. For I did not come to judge the
world, but to save it." Jesus is the light showing the way to God's
accepting and all encompassing grace.
Perhaps, if people in both Old and New Testament times needed a light
to illumine the way... we could use one also? Is there any darkness in
your life that needs piercing?
Monsters might not be hiding under your bed, but are you experiencing a
shadow of darkness that threatens your soul? Perhaps you are
struggling with depression; perhaps someone you love has died. Could
it be that you are overwhelmed with the responsibility of work or family,
feeling attacked by the expectations of others, trying to remember to
breathe as you fight off loneliness? Is there any darkness in your life that
needs piercing?
The questions are not meant to be rhetorical... they are not meant to be
merely academic musings. This is not a morning to reflect on the
sweetness of words. This is not the time to nod gently as you placate the
pastor. If you are experiencing distress in any way.... physical,
emotional, spiritual distress... God is offering you a way to cut through
the gloom of darkness.
Unto us a child is born, a son is given, and his name is Jesus.
You are invited this morning, at this very moment to experience the birth
of Jesus. You are invited to experience the light that will displace any
fear, any fracturing of your life. You are invited to let go of the darkness
that haunts you and to experience the peace of God through the power
of Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Celebrate the birth of light in your life. AMEN.
DeWitt United Methodist Church
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